Brake caliper for disc brake assembly and method and apparatus for producing same

Abstract

A brake caliper adapted for use in a vehicle disc brake assembly and method and apparatus for producing the same. The apparatus for producing the brake caliper comprises a mold member and a core member. The mold member has two mold sections meeting at a vertical interface, the first mold section having an extension from the vertical interface into the second mold section to form an integrally cast lug on the brake caliper. The core member has three extensions operative to form three integrally cast locating surfaces on the cast brake caliper, the extensions defining datum surfaces for subsequent machining of the cast brake caliper to predetermined tolerances using the three locating surfaces as the datum surfaces.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of producing a brake caliper adapted for use in a disc brake assembly comprising:
 (a) providing a mold member having first and second mold sections meeting at a vertical interface, the first mold section having an extension from the vertical interface into the second mold section for a horizontal distance to form an integrally cast lug on a cast brake caliper, wherein the vertical interface is in a first vertical zone and a tip of the first mold extension is in a second vertical zone at the horizontal distance from the first vertical zone, the first and second vertical zones comprising a jogged vertical split line between the first and second mold sections; 
 (b) providing a core member having three extensions operative to form three integrally cast locating surfaces on the cast brake caliper, the extensions defining datum surfaces for subsequent machining of the cast brake caliper to predetermined tolerances using the three locating surfaces as the datum surfaces; 
 (c) disposing the core member in the mold member; 
 (d) supplying a suitable casting material to the mold member so as to form the brake caliper within the mold; 
 (e) removing the cast brake caliper from the mold member, wherein the brake caliper includes the three integrally cast locating surfaces formed therein by the three extensions of the core member and the integrally cast lug formed by the extension; and 
 (f) machining the cast brake caliper using the three integrally cast locating surfaces formed on the brake caliper as the datum surfaces to thereby produce the brake caliper. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1  wherein the cast brake caliper includes one piston bore formed therein and the cast brake caliper is a single piston brake caliper. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1  wherein two of the core member extensions are male extensions adapted to form two of the integrally cast surfaces on an associated pair of ears of the cast brake caliper, the two surfaces on the pair of ears being used as locating surfaces for subsequent machining of the brake caliper. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1  wherein two of the core member extensions are adapted to form two of the locating surfaces on an inboard leg portion of the cast brake caliper and one of the core member extensions is adapted to form one of the locating surfaces on an outboard leg portion of the cast brake caliper. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1  further comprising a receptacle in the second mold section extending inward from the vertical interface to an interior back surface, wherein the extension enters the receptacle without contacting the interior back surface to form the integrally cast lug. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1  further comprising a gap between the extension and the core member. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6  wherein the gap is operative to form a piston bore.